Decaying White
by Illyria13
Summary: *PRDT* What if Trent had been a little more damaged than they thought? What if someone had stepped in sooner? Tommy/Trent Friendship/Mentor focus


Decaying White

By Illyria13

Author's Note: This is how I felt Trent should have been brought back to the 'good' side of the force. I really liked his character in Dino Thunder and was extremely disappointed with how the Ranger team dealt with the White Ranger. They couldn't seem to acknowledge the difficulty Trent had in resisting the White Ranger powers; in fact, after a few episodes, they completely wrote him off instead of trying to help him.

While I dislike the whole "You don't want to do this, you're not evil" shtick, I really don't like the "Let's destroy him, he's evil, he can resist it" chant. I really expected more from Mr. Technicolor Tommy who's been turned evil about what, four times?!

I also want to believe that Connor can be more mature than he lets on. I know it's asking a lot, but he has actually had a few moments. I think that as the Red Ranger and the leader, he should feel kind of responsible. Anyways, enough of my rant!!!

(By the way, I'm surprised I was able to write a fic that actually had the good guys winning for a change. My beta and partner-in-crime Lynxgoddess wants to know what the pod people did to me.)

P.S. I apologize for the fight scenes. I love good ones but I am also a big fan of the psychological fighting. A mix of the two seemed appropriate here; however, I have a hard time writing the fight scenes like I picture them. I tried.

Timeline: Sometime before "Copy That"; don't really have a specific spot, sorry.

Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers or the characters or some quotes by Joss Whedon, God of writing and good plotlines.

Trent looked like hell. Instead of glaring with his patented How-dare-you-breath-my-air-and-sit-anywhere-in-my-presence stare at the four other Rangers, the White Ranger was sitting slumped in a chair two tables over. The lack of scathing comments and death threats made Tommy a little concerned about what he was planning. Another look at the teen caused those thoughts to be replaced with concern. _He looks tired, like he hasn't slept in weeks, _Tommy thought. Connor's voice suddenly spoke, jolting him from his thoughts.

"He doesn't look too good, does he, Dr. O.?"

The serious tone in the Red Ranger's voice caught the Black Ranger's attention. Looking at him sharply, Tommy was surprised to see a look of concern directed at the White Ranger. Connor smirked, yet no humor colored it.

"I know I've been the most vocal in my dislike of Trent, but even I can see the trouble he's going through. Those Powers are destroying him, aren't they?" A sad expression passed through the Red Ranger's eyes before fading away so fast, Tommy wasn't even sure it had really been there. _Whoa, has Connor actually voiced a serious thought concerning Trent? What __**is **__the world coming to?_

"We need to do something. We're all tired of getting our asses handed to us, not to mention losing our zords. Those Powers of his are a lot stronger than ours." _And the hits just keep on coming. Is he trying to give me a heart attack?_

Connor had clearly caught the disbelief Tommy was directing at him.

"Look, all else aside, Trent's still one of us. He can't control what he's doing anymore and it's wearing on him, not to mention us. While I don't like that he's taking it out on the team, I do respect what he's going through. But we need to step in because it's getting out of control. Sooner or later, someone is going to get seriously hurt, and the way things have been lately, I'm not too sure it'll be one of us. And that's not something I want on my conscience."

Tommy felt pride well up in him as he watched his Red Ranger take on his leader role. He also realized that Connor was right. Glancing back to the White Ranger, he was surprised to see him gone. Looking around, his attention was caught by a confrontation near the front door.

"Watch out, freak." One of the football players had slammed into Trent and was clearly not happy about it. "Unless you want us to teach you about obeying your superiors."

Tommy groaned. _Please don't tick off the evil and slightly psychotic Ranger with powers beyond your comprehension. Why couldn't you just walk away? Now we're the ones who are going to have to try and calm him down. The White Ranger doesn't do "calm down." His version of counting to ten is throwing ten arrows at us. _

"You think you can take me? You can't even touch me." Trent grinned maniacally, voice lowering to a sibilant hiss. "After all, you're only human."

Hoping to prevent Trent from causing serious damage, the Rangers moved swiftly towards the group. Upon reaching them, Tommy was surprised to see some of the madness fade from Trent's eyes. Mumbling a soft "whatever", he walked outside and, exchanging a quick glance, the Rangers followed. Once there, they looked around, hoping for an indication of which way he'd gone. They turned down the nearest alley, continuing forward until they came out into an open plaza.

"What do you want?"

Trent materialized in front of them, having used his chameleon powers to blend into the wall. The sharp retort Tommy had ready died upon seeing the White Ranger. Up close, Trent looked even more ragged than he had first thought. There was a tired kind of frustration apparent in his eyes while his voice appeared worn. Even while he directed the comment to them, he was focused on some distant point, giving Tommy the impression that Trent wasn't really there. Before he could say anything, Conner spoke up.

"We wanted to make sure you were alright."

Tommy stared at Conner. _I take back everything I said about him being intelligent. What kind of question is that? Does he __**look**__ okay?"_ The Red Ranger continued.

"Don't even think about walking away from us. I know that everything you did wasn't your choice, I get that now. You were split in two and powerless to stop it. But you need to decide, right here and right now, who's going to be in control. Are you the Master or the Slave of those Powers?"

"And what do you know about being in control of your life? You didn't choose to be a Ranger. You didn't choose to risk everything, knowing what could happen. Not at first. But then you accepted it. You accepted the risks." Trent gave a mocking laugh. "Acceptance is compromise."

Before they could react, Trent spoke again, his voice a haunting mix of despair and anguish.

"Do you know what it's like to die? I do. I died the first time I morphed. It's like pain and fear and sweat and blood…and you don't even know where you are anymore. You don't know who you are. You don't breathe and you don't live. You just are. For a time, you wonder if you'll ever be who you were." Trent's eyes locked with Tommy's. "I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time. I felt helpless."

Suddenly, his face contorted into a hateful snarl.

"You come here, all strong and righteous in your beliefs. You think you know me?! You know nothing about me. I'm not some broken little puppet for anyone to control. And I don't need **fixing**."

The almost schizophrenic pace with which Trent was switching topics was somewhat disorienting. Tommy was having a hard time keeping up and, judging by the looks on the others' faces, so were they. Yet there was something compelling about the deranged Ranger. His pain was palpable, the air so thick with it, it was suffocating.

"Do you envy me, Rangers? I can walk among you, yet I am not one of you. You think you can save these humans, even though they could destroy you. That's the question, isn't it? Is it worth it?" Trent paused. "After everything, do I deserve to be saved? Will you save me because you want to, or out of some noble belief that you have to?"

A small spot of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth as he coughed. Reaching a hand up to wipe it away, Trent looked at the blood. "Damn. Wish it would stop doing that." He began coughing violently, more of the red liquid appearing on his hand, as a white light began to pulse around him.

"It's lightning dancing under the skin and ice in your brain and everything's spinning and I…" He screamed in pain, hands fisting in his hair and agony etched across his face. A sickening laugh tumbled from his lips with a keening undertone forced from his throat. "I don't know what I'm saying. I never know what I'm saying." Beseeching eyes lifted to the Dino Rangers and a whispered plea escaped.

"Help me." Another howl was released as in a flash of brilliant light, Trent morphed into the White Ranger.

The Dino Rangers stared at him in horror, the fear and misery in his voice reverberating through their heads. Comprehension dawned on them, as guilt rose within. They had done this. They had left him to face the Powers alone and like a tidal wave, they had crashed through him, destroying his mind and heart. The White powers had taken over and tainted his soul, poisoning his thoughts. Trent was nothing more than a puppet to them. A blast of laser arrows brought them all out of their well-deserved guilt with a crash as the White Ranger attacked.

"What's this? Four little Rangers, all in a row. It's almost too easy." He sneered. The malice in his words came as no surprise; however, the underlying madness tainting his speech had never been as clear as it was now.

Tommy froze, the icy fear seizing him as clarity struck. Just how much damage had been inflicted by the White powers to the boy they held? This was new territory to the once-evil Green Ranger. Trent had held the White Drago powers for months now, far longer than any other evil Ranger in the past. And even if they succeeded in saving him from them, how much of the reserved artist would be left?

Determination rose within the Black Dino Ranger as he vowed then and there to free Trent. It was the only choice left to them. They had failed, **he** had failed, to act sooner, before it had come to this point. Nodding to the others, they morphed into their respective colors.

Charging towards the White Ranger, the fight began, a flurry of kicks and punches. Four-on-one, they were still getting it handed to them, though the White Ranger was having more difficulty than usual. _He's moving slower_, Tommy realized, _without his usual finesse._ Paying for his inattention with a hard kick to the ribs, he fell back with a moan. He looked up in just enough time to push the enraged White Ranger away; to his surprise, Trent stumbled back and slammed into the ground hard. _What the…the blood._ Tommy had a brief flash back to the coughing fit Trent had at the beginning of the fight. _He's in pain and weakened. We need to end this, and fast._

A thought of inspiration struck. _The Dino Gems. They were all connected to each other, including the White Dino Gem. If they could somehow channel their powers into his Gem, it might be enough to overpower the_ _evil encoding it and force it out._ Coming to a quick decision, the Black Ranger caught the others' attention and told them the plan. As a group, they raised their Gems up and began channeling their powers into Tommy's, using his Gem as a focal point. The multi-colored Powers combined together and slammed into the White Gem.

A brilliant flash colored their vision as the resulting explosion sent them all flying back, Kira landing on top of Connor with Ethan only a few feet away. Tommy groaned as the hard concrete jarred his sore ribs. However, as the smoke cleared, all thoughts of his pain vanished as his eyes landed on the unmorphed White Ranger.

"Trent!!"

The too-still form lay crumpled near the wall, face down and unmoving, looking for all the world like a rag doll that had been tossed aside.

Powering down, the Black Ranger scrambled to his feet and raced towards the figure, the other Rangers following suit.

Falling to his knees, Tommy reached for Trent's wrist and gave a sigh of relief at the pulse. Gently turning him over onto his back, his heart plummeted at the sight. Kira gave a strangled scream, while Ethan and Connor looked sick. Blood was pouring from Trent's nose in a steady stream, while a deep laceration near his temple trickled a red river down his face. The part that had Tommy concerned was the half-lidded eyes that were staring blankly ahead, giving no sign of life. He hoped it was merely shock and the mental backlash of being finally freed from the evil powers and not a sign of mental instability, as he feared it might be. However, there was nothing he could do here. Tommy gathered the fallen Ranger up carefully, the other Rangers moving almost imperceptibly to help him.

"Let's get him back to the lab, guys."

Trent still looked like hell, Tommy decided. The White Ranger was lying on a bed in one of his guest rooms having yet to regain consciousness. Tommy had wiped the blood off Trent's face, thankful that it had slowed somewhat. The teen had a few cuts and bruises, some of which were a few days old, but at least no broken bones. What was most disturbing was the lack of response. The teen hadn't moved once, something that had Tommy concerned. Trent was always hyper vigilant, sometimes to the extreme. To see him so still and unaware was disconcerting. _I really hope he doesn't have a concussion. Maybe I should have tried to wake him up to ascertain how hard he hit his head. Then again, _Tommy reflected,_ he really could use the rest._

Tommy had sent the other Rangers home a few hours ago after assuring them that there was nothing they could do for now. As for him, he maintained a steady vigil over the downed White Ranger.

A slight gasp from the occupant of the bed caught his attention. Deciding it was better to stay put and allow the teen to gather his surroundings, Tommy watched him for signs of discomfort. The eyes of the White Ranger glanced dazedly around before settling on Tommy. The reaction was instantaneous.

"Oh, God…What did I do….I attacked you…No!!" A wild look entered Trent's eyes and with a moan, he tumbled from the bed. "He's going to come back…God, I have to get out of here!" He continued mumbling frantically, his manner becoming increasingly agitated.

"Trent, you need to calm down. Everything's fine now." Tommy continued along that line, trying unsuccessfully to calm the frantic Trent. He had undergone too much lately and right now, any more stress could cause further damage to the weakened teen.

He clearly wasn't listening, hell, Tommy wasn't even sure he could hear him at all. He took a few tentative steps towards the White Ranger, moving slowly as not to spook him. Suddenly, Trent stumbled, his knees giving out beneath him. Lunging forward to catch him, Tommy's fingers barely brushed Trent's arm; the brief moment of contact only made the situation worse. Trent flinched violently away from the Black Ranger, falling backwards until his back slammed into the wall behind him. Looking like a trapped and cornered animal, he slid down the wall until he was on the floor, whimpering in a combination of fear and pain.

Tommy realized that he was only making the situation worse, yet there was no other option. Releasing a deep controlled breath, he hoped that he could easily rectify the situation. Another glance at the White Ranger made those thoughts falter.

The Black Ranger felt his throat constrict with emotion at the look in his eyes. Tommy was suddenly reminded of his evil Ranger days. The uncertainty and the guilt were overpowering; the fear of everyone and everything had been so hard to cope with. The worst was the thoughts of being trapped again, unable to stop from hurting everyone around you for no reason at all. Tommy had Jason to help him. Jason had been there, through the nightmares and the shock of being free again.

Trent didn't have anybody like that. He had no friends and barely any family to speak of. Tommy knew what it'd been like to be evil. He knew how it felt; to feel invincible and attack without thought or provocation. The certainty of knowing that you'd win, and the desire to be the last one standing. He needed to help Trent because he was one of the few who could. Then again, he had been partially responsible for the state Trent was in now. Even if he hadn't been, Tommy had rather like the shy, quiet artist, even for the brief time he'd known him before the evil Powers had changed him.

He was brought back to the here and now by a small movement from Trent. First things first, he needed to at least get the frightened teen focused on him. Then he could have the heart-to-heart chat he'd been planning. Creeping forward slowly, Tommy moved closer to the White Ranger, talking soothing nonsense under his breath. Upon reaching his side, he sat down carefully, watching Trent's face for any signs of distress. The White Ranger had calmed slightly, his eyes tracking Tommy's movements warily. After a few moments, he relaxed fractionally at the non-threatening position. Taking a deep breath, Tommy carefully lifted his hand and slowly raised it towards Trent, giving him the time to back away, and whispered his name to get his attention. Smiling gently at the acceptance of the situation in the teen's eyes, he spoke.

"Listen. Just listen to me. It's not there anymore; it can't hurt you again. The Powers have been freed from the evil and so have you. You have control over them now."

"I know things are different and I know how hard it's going to be. Frankly, it sucks. There will be moments when you won't know whether it's real or not. Other times, those thoughts about hurting others or even yourself will come back. And I need you to tell me when that happens. It'll hurt sometimes. That's because your Powers have to adjust again. But I am here for you, and so are the others."

"I know it's not easy. I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm not asking that you trust them. Not yet. Trust takes weeks to build, and only seconds to shatter. It's going to take some time, on both sides. And I know it'll be a while before you can trust yourself, let alone the Powers. There's something I'm going to tell you and I want you to believe it. And I know you have no reason to." The slightly fearful look on Trent's face spoke volumes. "**I** trust you."

_Jason would be proud of me,_ Tommy thought. _All those talks he gave me actually stuck. And I think I just talked Trent off a ledge._

Walking through the doors of the café, Tommy was surprised to see that Conner was the only one of the others that had arrived already. He had staked out a couple tables and chairs away from the rest of the occupants and was currently staring down at a textbook, a pensive look on his face. Tommy felt Trent tense behind him and turned around quickly, hoping to catch him before he bolted. A week had passed since they had brought Trent back, and most of the time had been spent between Tommy and Trent, the former helping the teen cope with everything that had happened. He'd finally gotten Trent to stop flinching every time Tommy so much as walked in the room, which was a step forward, all things considered. The White Ranger had yet to have been around the other Rangers, however, and Tommy had decided it was time to do something about it.

Walking towards the Red Ranger, Tommy prayed that the teen would at least play nice, especially considering the history between White and Red. Conner looked up as they approached.

"Hey, Dr. O. Ethan and Kira are on their way. They had a few things to take care of, but they said they'd meet us here."

Tommy nodded in understanding and sat down, practically forcing Trent into the seat next to him. Conner sat back in his chair and looked carefully at them. The White Ranger was sitting as far away from them as possible and looked ready to bolt at any second.

"Stop looking at me like I'm going to hit you or something."

Trent flinched at Conner's voice and snapped his head up, staring at Conner in disbelief. Tommy sat forward as a haunting look passed over Trent's face before quickly fading into one of guilt. He mumbled an apology. Conner tipped his head to the side and sighed.

"You know it isn't your fault, right? I don't blame you and for the record, I know the others don't either. Sure, I wasn't happy with the situation, but that wasn't against you. I just didn't like someone trying to kill me and my teammates."

Tommy gave Conner a sharp look as Trent winced and looked away, the familiar expression of guilt appearing. Conner looked at the Black Ranger steadily, not sorry at all. He wasn't trying to hurt him; the Red Ranger had the feeling that Trent was doing that all by himself. But there were things that needed to be said if they were ever supposed to work together. Once he had his attention again, the Red Ranger continued.

"It took a while, and a lot of lectures from Dr. O., but I get it now. You didn't ask to be chosen for this. Things just happened. And you're just as much a victim in the situation as us, and in some ways, more."

"I am sorry, though. We should have done a better job at trying to help you. You came to us for help and we didn't do what we should have. I can claim we had no reason to believe you, let alone help you. But that shouldn't have made a difference. We could have ended this a long time ago, and for that, I'm sorry."

Tommy wasn't sure who was more shocked, him or Trent. Then again, he knew there was a reason Conner had been chosen by the Red Dino Gem. He was a born leader. It took a while, and a lot of chipping away, but Conner had matured, and done it well.

"Oh, shut up already. Get over yourself for two seconds, Red Ranger. So ready to sacrifice and martyr yourself for others. Aren't you just the good little soldier?"

The worried look on the faces of the other two brought Trent back to the present and made reality set in.

"Sorry. It's…It fades. It all fades." The lines on his face deepened and he sighed wearily, running a hand through his hair. He pulled himself together and looked at Conner apologetically.

"So, what are you working on?"

Tommy tuned the two teens out as they began talking about schoolwork. The meeting had gone a lot better than he expected, the only minor crunch being the little outburst by Trent. It only deepened his feelings that the White Ranger would be forever changed by what had occurred. _Some scars run too deep. No matter what he does, he can never completely erase what he did. He'll have to live with it. Maybe I can get one of the other Rangers to talk with him. After all, almost every one of us has had experience with an evil teammate at one point or another. _

Tommy smiled to himself, though it was without humor.

_He's tainted now; one of us beyond a doubt. We were all affected, in one way or another. But he's part of a select few. One that started their Ranger status as corrupt and twisted. Someone that had began as a shadow and changed it into a memory. He was created of crimson and fire, black and ashes. He was born out of hate and anger and disaster. A hurricane of destruction; empty, but for the force of his gale. _

_Yes, he's truly one of us. _

FIN

AN2: Wow, that came out a lot darker at the end there than I expected. I think that makes me like it better.


End file.
